Air Canada Plane Collides with Fire Truck at LaGuardia, Resulting in Fatalities
A recent video has surfaced, capturing the tragic incident where an Air Canada aircraft collided with a fire truck on the runway at LaGuardia Airport in New York City, leading to the deaths of both pilots on board.
The footage, shared by FDNY Response Video, shows the plane skidding on Runway 4 and crashing into a Port Authority fire truck that had its emergency lights activated, around 11:45 p.m. on Sunday.
The fire vehicle flipped multiple times as the plane seemed to lose control on the wet runway.
Audio from air traffic control recorded just before the incident indicates the controller had granted permission to the fire truck to cross the runway, only to urgently tell the driver to halt the vehicle.
The recorded message stated, “Stop, Truck 1. Stop,” followed by frantic commands for the Frontier flight to stop as well. Unfortunately, the plane crashed into the fire truck, which removed the nose of the aircraft.
At the time of the crash, there were 72 passengers along with four crew members on the flight.
Both pilots aboard the CRJ-900 aircraft unfortunately lost their lives, although their names have not been disclosed yet.
Injuries were reported among many passengers on the plane, with at least two firefighters from the truck experiencing serious injuries, according to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
A passenger named Jack Cabot recounted that several people aboard were injured, some even bleeding from the head. “I looked back after I got off, and one person had a significant injury to his face,” he expressed, noting the distressing scene.
By 2 p.m. on Monday, officials confirmed that LaGuardia Airport had reopened, advising travelers to anticipate delays and cancellations as efforts to return to normal operations continued.
The Port Authority confirmed that the fire truck was responding to a different incident when the Air Canada flight landed on Runway 4.
Travelers were encouraged to check with their airlines for the latest updates, as the airport navigated through the aftermath of this devastating collision.
